“[Democrats] need to focus on enticing voters not by bludgeoning Trump, but with impressive candidates who offer hopeful, purposeful messages. That’s how they’ll wed the Democratic Party’s urban base with the swing voters who live in broader metropolitan regions. And that, in the end, is the key to Democrats winning in 2020 and beyond.”

"In 2020, there will be an added twist to the puzzle: the Democrats must find a candidate capable of tangling with Trump personally, one who can mix it up enough with the president to stop a landslide among base Trump voters, but not become tarnished in the process in a way that tamps down Democratic enthusiasm.”

The Guardian

Some claim that “political elites are far more polarized than the voters, or at least the center is much bigger than politicians, academics and media folks would have you believe. The strong showing of Democratic moderates, especially in the suburbs, suggests that Democrats need not go far left as Trump goes far right; to the contrary, the large center is wide open if Democrats run appropriate candidates."

Washington Post

Others note that “65 percent of the incoming House freshman class embraced some version of Medicare-for-all or expanding Social Security benefits. Almost 80 percent embraced lowering prescription drug costs by challenging Big Pharma. And 82 percent favored challenging corporate power in our political system by rejecting corporate PAC money, passing a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United or passing campaign finance reform...

Some caution against ‘stolen election’ rhetoric. “There is no question that Gov.-elect Brian Kemp, while secretary of state, made it harder for minority and other voters to register and vote, through a combination of deliberate efforts and gross incompetence... [But] a democratic polity depends on losers accepting election results, even if the election was not conducted perfectly...

“Saying Kemp tried to suppress Democratic votes and saying the election was stolen are two different things, and making charges of a stolen election when it cannot be proved undermines Democrats’ complaints about suppressive tactics...

"Rather than questioning the election’s legitimacy or making [unprovable] claims of stolen elections, Democrats should focus their efforts into doing whatever is possible to prevent voter suppression and incompetence in the upcoming 2020 elections.” (Slate Magazine)

From the Right

The right is encouraged that the election results validated the strength of our electoral system, and note that the Democratic field for 2020 is wide open.

“Our ideological divides are gaping and growing, and yet elections in America are orderly, transfers of power are peaceful, and seriously disputed results are rare... The most obvious lesson of November 6 is that our country’s electoral system is vibrant and strong. Candidates, both good and bad, won across the country, and those who lost gave way to the winners."

The Weekly Standard

Regarding gerrymandering, “state legislatures have been drawing congressional boundaries to favor one party or another since America’s founding. During the 40 years of sustained Democratic control of the House in the late 20th century, this worked in the Democrats’ favor... Democrats sometimes enjoyed congressional majorities nearly 10 percentage points larger than their share of the House popular vote...

“[This election cycle] Democrats busted one of their own cherished myths by proving that Republican gerrymanders weren’t preventing them from retaking the House of Representatives... [they] will hold about 53.6% of seats—a 7.1% edge. And, what do you know, Democratic House candidates nationwide have 52.8% of votes—7.3% more than Republicans.”

Wall Street Journal

“The media’s discussion of the GOP ‘losing the suburbs’ frames the issue in a way to flatter the sensibilities of liberals and Democrats (the two parties split 49-49 in the suburban vote according to exit polls)... The reality is that the Democratic Party has become the party of the rich (including rich suburbs) and the poor, and the GOP the party of the forgotten and increasingly disempowered middle class...

“Overall, the Democrats hold the poorest 10 percent and wealthiest 10 percent of districts by a staggering 75-11. Among the other 80 percent of seats, Republicans hold a 190-158 advantage, even after taking heavy losses in the midterms.”‍

The Hill

Looking ahead to 2020, “Pelosi may want to hold off on impeachment proceedings, at least until special counsel Robert Mueller releases his report. But it's doubtful the Democratic base shares her patience...

“We were told just days ago by all the great and good in the media when Martha McSally conceded that gracious losing is absolutely essential to our democracy. Well, here’s Stacey Abrams explicitly saying in her concession speech that she’s not conceding and, basically, alleging a dire plot to deny her the Georgia governorship.”

National Review

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“When a race is close and a Republican is ahead, the message from the national media is: ‘Take as much time as needed to count every vote. The values of democracy and elected government are at stake.’ When a race is close and the Democrat is ahead, the message from the national media is that the Republican candidate is being a sore loser and dragging out a futile exercise and needs to concede and accept defeat gracefully.”